Rationalization

Alice thought to herself, of course she could give up shopping, but – she’s not a quitter.

Dilemma

Megan has secrets. She used to desire invisibility, but now she only wants people to know who she really is.

Tired

When Linda heard that her 5 year-old son got into a fight again at the childcare centre, one part of her wanted to shake him and yell, “What is your problem!?” Another part of her wanted to hug him and say, “I will protect you!”

Linda did neither. She brought her son home, left him to his internet videos, plonked onto the bed and slept through the whole afternoon.

We think too much about what others think of us

Suffering

Steve is in the office. He is suffering. A passer-by bumped him in the chest an hour ago.

The incident disturbed and enraged him so much that he kept revisiting that split-second experience in his mind just to curse the offender.

His chest doesn’t hurt. He has a headache.

Trial of life

You don’t know yourself until you’ve been tested to the limit.

Temptation. Fear. That brush with evil.

Then, the true secret of surrender. And the shape of your character: revealed.

Desire

Bob is sick of his desire – “Why am I always craving for things I don’t have?”

Consolation

Old man Hu is poor but he rationalizes his position by claiming that, if he had more, who knows what temptation he might have fallen into.

He flips the tabloid pages, shakes his head at the celebrities and feels better about himself.

Worry

McDunn is always worried. He isn’t sure why he worries so much. He thinks there’s something wrong with his head.

But since worrying has become such a big part of his life, McDunn also worries about the day he stops worrying. Because he believes that would be the day he starts dying.

And so, he keeps on living, worrying about his worrying.

Excuse

Sean can still remember his promise to his wife, that he wouldn’t drink anymore. And so he gulps down the third shot.

Nope, doesn’t work.

Now he stares at the fourth and hopes it does the trick.